Don't need one since Airplay mirroring exists for iPhones, iPads, and with ML, in Macs.

Requiring the use of an incredibly expensive smart phone or tablet computer to plug the holes in the incredibly limited functionality of ATV is completely absurd.

The ATV needs to be able to stand on it's own two feet, and it's still incapable of putting on much of a show. The Roku box offers much more, and an Xbox or PS3 offer vastly more. Apple need to either open the ATV to third party apps, or just actually give a damn in bringing new internally developed apps to the system.

I live in the UK where BBC iPlayer is the no.1 streaming service by a mile. Nothing comes within even 10% of it's market share for real content. (I'm excluding Youtube etc) And yet there is no BBC iPlayer on the ATV. That alone is a deal breaker for most people in the UK. Even in the US the ATV still lacks Hulu support, which I can imagine is also something of problem for many.

In short, Apple need to try harder. Much harder. And give the ATV a good looking UI too, as the one they have now, pre and post tweaks, is absolutely hideous.

Requiring the use of an incredibly expensive smart phone or tablet computer to plug the holes in the incredibly limited functionality of ATV is completely absurd.

The ATV needs to be able to stand on it's own two feet, and it's still incapable of putting on much of a show. The Roku box offers much more, and an Xbox or PS3 offer vastly more. Apple need to either open the ATV to third party apps, or just actually give a damn in bringing new internally developed apps to the system.

[...] In short, Apple need to try harder. Much harder. And give the ATV a good looking UI too, as the one they have now, pre and post tweaks, is absolutely hideous.

Absolutely agree. If a person watch run a HuluPlus app on their iPad, then I should similarly be able to watch HuluPlus on the ATV *without* also having to own / use an iPad or iPhone.

My other beef with the interface is the confusing distinction between the icons for "movies" and "tv shows" versus "Netflix" (and whatever other providers may come in the future, such as Hulu). Since Netflix also offers "movies" and "tv shows", the real meaning behind these icons is to distinguish between the iTunes store and your library of what you've purchased, versus other providers. So why not just say that? Why not have an icon for "iTunes Store", and an icon for "Library" or "Purchased Content" or whatever. Instead, a lot of Joe Schmos are going to be confused as to why there is a "movie" icon but it doesn't access Netflix's movies, etc.

Oh, also why isn't Bluetooth enabled by default again? Why can't we stream 1080P via AirPlay? Are we waiting on 802.11ac for that?!

Apps for a TV screen and limited infra-red remote would have to be drastically different. If apple were to allow apps on the AppleTV, they would have to invest a lot of time and money into doing it right. To do otherwise could easily ruin the iOS ecosystem.

My other beef with the interface is the confusing distinction between the icons for "movies" and "tv shows" versus "Netflix" (and whatever other providers may come in the future, such as Hulu). Since Netflix also offers "movies" and "tv shows", the real meaning behind these icons is to distinguish between the iTunes store and your library of what you've purchased, versus other providers. So why not just say that? Why not have an icon for "iTunes Store", and an icon for "Library" or "Purchased Content" or whatever. Instead, a lot of Joe Schmos are going to be confused as to why there is a "movie" icon but it doesn't access Netflix's movies, etc.

I agree that the naming is not perfect.

But it isn't like Joe Schmoe thinks they're going to Africa every time they click on the Safari icon. Seriously. This is a pendantic geek issue and not a usability issue.

After the first few minutes of use, most people won't even read those labels. Instead their brain will subconsciously use the directional buttons to highlight the appropriately colored rectangle in the location on the screen they are used to seeing it.

With that said, I too wish there was better naming. And while we're at it, why does my netflix refer to "DVD Queue"? I only watch blu-ray.

Why does it not include an HDMI cable? One would think Apple would make their products useable right out of the box.

I have to say, that is petty on Apple's part. It couldn't be more than $3 more to include HDMI & Optical Audio wholesale! For a $100! Come on Apple! At least make it an optional ad on at time of odering for $10! Which leaves Apple with a few hundered % in profit!

The ATV needs to be able to stand on it's own two feet, and it's still incapable of putting on much of a show. The Roku box offers much more, and an Xbox or PS3 offer vastly more. Apple need to either open the ATV to third party apps, or just actually give a damn in bringing new internally developed apps to the system.

I keep reading about how great the competition is, though none of the options work well with iTunes. I did try PS3 media centre though it sucks when used with iTunes.

Really, I think there's three elements that Apple need to knock out of the park for ATV to be a killer:

1) Seamless integration with your iTunes/iPhoto/iOS media. They have pretty much nailed this with Airplay. Check

2) Streaming TV channels that are now standard on consoles and tv's/blu ray players these days, ie. BBC player in UK, ABC iView in Australia etc. In Progress

3) App Store allowing apps such as VLC to be downloaded, opening up the ATV to other media formats outside of the iTunes bubble. Avoids the need to jailbreak these things. Not Likely

Quote:

Originally Posted by kotatsu

In short, Apple need to try harder. Much harder. And give the ATV a good looking UI too, as the one they have now, pre and post tweaks, is absolutely hideous.

Agreed. The interface is awful. I'm also not liking the faux materials you see in OSX cal, address book etc... Seems there's a few bad eggs working at Apples UI design department.

Funny, I was actually thinking how much I like it over the old menus....

and no, I am not being my usual sarcastic self.

Agreed. I like it much better than the old one although I do believe Apple is still working on something much better for the TV set. This is still very much a work in progress - essentially a long drawn-out beta. But being that I only watch a few movies and documentaries per month, it's all fine with me. Live sports is the only thing I miss but I didn't want to pay for hundreds of channels I would never watch to be able to watch several ballgames per year.

I'm not buying an AppleTV until it's integrated with the TV set and can download apps just like the rest of my iDevices. The ability to use apps and play games on my TV would be the "killer app" as far as I'm concerned.

Before they launch an Apple TV app store they'd have to ship a new Apple TV with some usable onboard RAM in order to store the apps.

The last version of the Apple TV had 8 gigabits of onboard storage and 256 MB of RAM. That is enough to run most apps people would want to see on the TV. I haven't seen a tear down for the recent one. Apple may have even upped the internal specifications.

It is worth noting the iPhone 3GS, which is still capable of running most iPhone apps, only has 256 DRAM.

Part of your grievance is with companies like Hulu. Hulu is owned by the media companies. They are likely responsible for not being on the Apple TV. The media companies are afraid of Apple.

In terms of being confused, perhaps some people will be. A person of average intelligence, however, should be able to figure it out pretty quick though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sierrajeff

Absolutely agree. If a person watch run a HuluPlus app on their iPad, then I should similarly be able to watch HuluPlus on the ATV *without* also having to own / use an iPad or iPhone.

My other beef with the interface is the confusing distinction between the icons for "movies" and "tv shows" versus "Netflix" (and whatever other providers may come in the future, such as Hulu). Since Netflix also offers "movies" and "tv shows", the real meaning behind these icons is to distinguish between the iTunes store and your library of what you've purchased, versus other providers. So why not just say that? Why not have an icon for "iTunes Store", and an icon for "Library" or "Purchased Content" or whatever. Instead, a lot of Joe Schmos are going to be confused as to why there is a "movie" icon but it doesn't access Netflix's movies, etc.

Part of your grievance is with companies like Hulu. Hulu is owned by the media companies. They are likely responsible for not being on the Apple TV. The media companies are afraid of Apple.

In terms of being confused, perhaps some people will be. A person of average intelligence, however, should be able to figure it out pretty quick though.

We don't know its Hulu (or HBO2GO). I can't for the life of me understand why those can't play on the ATV, but every other set top box has them. XBOX 360 and some Blu Ray Players have them too. iOS has them (iPad, iPhone, iPod)- but you can't airplay it to the ATV? I think Apple is playing hardball or something.

But just as you say its Hulu, and someone else might say its Apple- the truth is, none of us are behind the scenes, and no one knows who really is the person holding it up.

If you are looking for 1080p content and re downloading of Movie's and you live outside of the USA, we are out of luck for the immediate future...

This is from Apple Support :

"As of the moment, redownloading movies is a the latest feature on iTunes Store and is currently available in US and 1080p content is not available in Canada - when it is it will be officially announced. You can direct any questions you have about available content at the Apple store that you can purchase from at that time. You can also check the Canadian iTunes store for updates on a regular basis. At this time, I'm afraid there is no information on when 1080p content will be available for Canada. I sincerely apologize for the frustration this has caused."

Note update:
1080p content is only compatible with iPad (3rd generation), Apple TV (3rd generation), and computers that meet the minimum system requirements. HD content purchased directly on iPad 2 or earlier will continue to download in 720p. You may still download the 1080p version using the Purchased page on your computer based on availability.